On Thursday WXPN announced the 25 acts that will take part in this year’s XPoNential Music Festival – among the list of artists are “dueling Spanish guitarists” Rodrigo y Gabriela. Get a preview of the duo’s forthcoming LP 9 Dead Alive by downloading “The Soundmaker” below.

Railroad Earth bounded into the Folkadelphia studios for this week’s session, bringing an arsenal of songs that prove their musical sum is greater than any labeled parts. The New Jersey band has released seven full-lengths, including a new one called Last of the Outlaws. Stream and download the acoustic session below.

Philly band Elegant Animals are this week’s featured Key Studio Session subject, a five-piece that blurs the lines between electronica, R&B and rock. They performed two songs from a 2012 debut Spectrum Nocturnal and a pair from this month’s Carnivora. Take a listen to “Carnivora” below and get the full set here.

New York outfit Spottiswoode & His Enemies released a new album called English Dream, touching on pop and rock with a piano foundation. You can stream and download “No Time for Love” off of the record below, and catch the band live at World Cafe Live at The Queen on May 1st.

Pulling work by beatmakers from all over the country for their compilation Oddiology, Philadelphia production pair ILL Clinton and John E Cab (Us Natives) have put together an instrumental work of art. Stream “War Chant” by New Jersey’s Expo below and get the full album here.

Local production duo ILL Clinton and John E. Cab have joined forces as Us Natives to create a super-compilation of instrumental tracks crafted by beatmakers all over the country for Oddiology. No rappers, just beats and it’s pretty impressive.

Opening track “War Chant” by Expo is half lullaby (thanks to a Fiona Apple sample) and half dubstep tribal chant as the title suggests and definitely has a Kanye West “Power” vibe to it. HLX’s “Black/White Mute” sounds like something a Southern rapper would want to have screwed and chopped as an outro to a song or maybe even an interlude. The pace picks up with John E. Cab whose track “How Ya Been” is designed to suit the best of hard-hitting flows and the electric guitar solo brings some grit and genre-bending edge to the table. Hirass goes for drama and cinematic vibes with “Werewolf” which opens up quietly only to expand into intergalactic territory.

You could almost hear Eminem having a “Berzerk”-esque lyrical fit on Carl Kavorkian’s hard rock instrumental “Slap Dance Extravaganza”. Coldplay lovers will certainly enjoy “Ambitions of Ruling the World” which features a loop of Chris Martin singing “when I ruled the world” from the band’s hit “Viva la Vida”. The rest of the record turns to soul (Drone Jones’ “Trouble”) and even minimalist delivery suited for a Drake-like ( think “Successful” or “Pound Cake”) flow on Krooked Smilez’ “Somewhere Else”.

Overall, this compilation’s fresh and exciting instrumentals are indicative of the fact that the music can speak volumes alone even without a single word spoken or sung.

Philadelphia experimental hip-hop pair Us Natives have released a hypnotic new track, “Popeye Doyle.” Us Natives is the brainchild of Ill Clinton and John E. Cab. The song is the first single from their forthcoming album, Used Vinyl Review II, which is scheduled for release December 12th. Used Vinyl Review II is the follow-up to their debut album, Used Vinyl Review, which came out last April. Check out “Popeye Doyle” below.

About The Key

Philadelphia: Home to a rich musical history, a unique musical identity, and one of the nation's most thriving musical communities. In a scene filled with so many local bands worth listening to, there will always be new music to discover—and The Key is your source for finding it. Brought to you by WXPN—the non-commercial public radio station that World Cafe, XPN2, and XPoNential Music Festival call home—The Key covers all local music in Greater Philly and beyond.GET IN TOUCH

Mexican acoustic guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela closed out the first night of the festival with a striking set on the River Stage. The fusion / rock pair performed songs from their three albums, going for long stretches of time … Continued

Spottiswoode & His Enemies recently released their sixith studio album, English Dream. The New York based band, fronted by Jonathan Spottiswoode, has been together since the late 90s. A fixture of the New York music scene, they released their debut … Continued

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About The Key

Philadelphia: Home to a rich musical history, a unique musical identity, and one of the nation's most thriving musical communities. In a scene filled with so many local bands worth listening to, there will always be new music to discover—and The Key is your source for finding it. Brought to you by WXPN—the non-commercial public radio station that World Cafe, XPN2, and XPoNential Music Festival call home—The Key covers all local music in Greater Philly and beyond.GET IN TOUCH